On 22 June 1958, Geneva "Jean" Hilliker Ellroy was found strangled. Her murderer was never found, but her death had a lasting effect on her ten-year-old son who wasted his early adulthood as a wino, petty burglar and derelict. In this book he tells of his determination to solve his mother's murder.
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On 22 June 1958, Geneva "Jean" Hilliker Ellroy was found strangled. Her murderer was never found, but her death had a lasting effect on her ten-year-old son who wasted his early adulthood as a wino, petty burglar and derelict. In this book he tells of his determination to solve his mother's murder.
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Add this copy of My Dark Places to cart. $4.72, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 1996 by Alfred A. Knopf Publ.
Add this copy of My Dark Places to cart. $5.19, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Ruby rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1996 by Alfred A. Knopf Publ.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of My Dark Places to cart. $12.00, very good condition, Sold by MLC Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Northfield, MN, UNITED STATES, published 1996 by Century.
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Very Good in Near Fine jacket. Signed by Author Ellroy combines true crime with autobiography as he investigates the 1958 murder of his mother. Second British printing. Spine ends gently bumped, pages lightly tanned with a bit of foxing to the edges of the text block. Small crimp to the spine head of the Brodart covered jacket. Signed by Ellroy on the title page.
Add this copy of My Dark Places to cart. $12.76, like new condition, Sold by dying earth books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from torrance, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1996 by Century.
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Fine in Fine jacket. Book. Signed by Author(s) 1st ed/1st printing, SIGNED by the author on the title page. This book is square, solid, and unread; the boards are solid and unblemished, and the lovely dustjacket is in a protective Brodart cover. You'll feel like packin heat, pouring a drink on the rocks, and stoking an unfiltered coffin nail once you have this book in your hands! NOTE: Very light wear to the bottoms of the boards.
Add this copy of My Dark Places an L.a. Crime Memoir to cart. $12.95, very good condition, Sold by Gian Luigi Fine Books, Inc. rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Albany, NY, UNITED STATES, published 1996 by CENTURY BOOKS.
Add this copy of My Dark Places to cart. $16.99, very good condition, Sold by Brit Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Milton Keynes, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 1996 by Century.
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Very good. Simply Brit – welcome to our online used book store, where affordability meets great quality. Dive into a world of captivating reads without breaking the bank. We take pride in offering a wide selection of used books, from classics to hidden gems, ensuring there's something for every literary palate. All orders are shipped within 24 hours and our lightning fast-delivery within 48 hours coupled with our prompt customer service ensures a smooth journey from ordering to delivery. Discover the joy of reading with us, your trusted source for affordable books that do not compromise on quality.
Add this copy of My Dark Places to cart. $17.50, like new condition, Sold by Always Superior Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Marietta, GA, UNITED STATES, published 1996 by Century.
Add this copy of My Dark Places to cart. $18.23, very good condition, Sold by Greener Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from London, UNITED KINGDOM, published 1996 by Century.
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Add this copy of My Dark Places to cart. $20.22, very good condition, Sold by The Guru Bookshop rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hereford, WALES, UNITED KINGDOM, published 1996 by Century.
Add this copy of My Dark Places to cart. $20.95, like new condition, Sold by Redux Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Wyoming, MI, UNITED STATES, published 1996 by Century Publishing Co Ltd.
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Like New. Hardcover with DJ. SIGNED BY AUTHOR (name only...no inscription). FIRST EDITION. FROM COLLECTOR'S PERSONAL LIBRARY. PRESENTED WITH CLEAR BOOK JACKET COVER. A slight shelving tan around page edges, otherwise an unblemished copy.; 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed! Ships same or next business day!
This is the story of James Ellroys own boyhood and the vicious murder that defined his life and is one of the most engaging books I have ever read. This is part true confession, part true crime and part train wreck. James Ellroy's honesty about himself and his obsession is downright creepy at times but I cannot help admiring him for it. Without exaggeration, I could not put this book down.
LisaAlvarado
May 4, 2007
Ellroy's Heart of Darkness
Murder, memory, loss, anguish--all the stuff of crime fiction and tragedy. It is the subject matter of novelist James Ellroy, whose literary career has garnered him praise from the national press, and whose novel, L.A. Confidential, became a critically acclaimed film. But in My Dark Places, Ellroy throws the reader an unexpected twist. This book is about the killing of his mother, whom Ellroy lost when he was 10. It was the single incident that propelled Ellroy through a life as an introverted child, a teen criminal, a con, a drug addict, and finally a writer. But even as Ellroy dredges his tortured life from the ashes, his mother's ghost is never far behind. He longs for her, dreams about her, and she insinuated herself into every waking moment of his life.
My Dark Places is memoir, crime story, love song and a cry in the dark. Jean Ellroy was very much like a character in a noir novel. A woman of duplicity, torn between two lives, she was subdued and distant with her son, and acted more as a disciplinarian., rather than loving mother. In her other life she was a secret alcoholic, habitually drawn to anonymous sex with violent men. One of those men killed her on June 22, 1958. It was the single experience that rent the fabric of James Ellroy's life. He spent the next 36 years both running from her ghost, and recreating her life.
As soon as he was able Ellroy disappeared into the underworld. He was his mother's son, after all. She drank, he grew up and did eight balls and speed. She hung with criminals, he became one. She picked up men in bars and had one-night stands, he met women, screwed them, dumped them and moved along. When the drugs and the sex and the crime failed, Ellroy even reconstituted himself as a sober, successful writer. Nothing healed that wound that was his mother. He desired her, despised her, finally decided to investigate the case himself, hoping in this way, to reclaim her. What happened was an odyssey of obsession, redemption, but not peace. Despite a kind of resolution, James Ellroy will never be a peaceable being. He ends My Dark Places with these words: I can hear your voice. I can smell you and taste your breath. You're brushing against me. You're gone and I want more of you. Then he lists the name and number of the detective who is still looking for leads, still looking for the killer. Why is this so compelling for me? I was drawn to read this book after hearing an interview with Ellroy, feeling shocked to hear him talk about the tragedy in words that were my own. I ran from my own childhood holocaust, hid behind drugs, alcohol and sex. I, too, reworked, revisoned, and reshaped my life by writing. That wound has never completely healed. Maybe it never will, if my own intuition and Ellroy's cautionary words mean anything. But we write, we keep digging up the past, we keep afloat.
On a purely stylistic note: this is riveting writing. The book is crafted with a staccato rhythm, the use of simple, clean phrasing, and icy-hot imagery. I hope I can use it to shape my own writing about personal violence and pop culture violence in a piece entitled, Bury the Bones. Maybe Ellroy would enjoy the title.
